The State Department issued a statement saying, in part: “The Department of State welcomes the news that the government of Iraq has secured the release of three U.S. citizens who were reported as missing in January. We sincerely appreciate the assistance provided by the government of Iraq, and its whole-of-government effort to bring about the safe release of these individuals.”

On Tuesday, an Iraqi intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Americans had been taken by a Shiite militia and were turned over to Iraqi intelligence officers after negotiations.

Was a ransom paid? What was Iran’s role? More information, please.

Remember these 3 hostages were kidnapped hours after the prisoner swap with Iran:

In honor of this weekend’s successful prisoner swap, Iranian backed groups in Iraq take some more hostages. https://t.co/JJ3kATYXJ7